Kfocus of this new image share from NASA — a photo composite featuring imagery captured by the Hubble Space Telescope and the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array in New Mexico — is Hercules A.
The distant galaxy, also known as 3C 348, is the bright spot right in the middle of the below image. Those long, gorgeous trails of red are plasma jets that span roughly 1.5 million light-years of distance. They're invisible to the naked eye, but we see them here in beautiful shades of red, pink, and purple thanks to the VLA.
As for the cause of these enormous plasma jets, look no further than the massive black hole that sits at the center of 3C 348.
Credit: NASA and the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) It's an elliptical galaxy that's roughly 1,000 times larger than our own Milky Way. Same goes for the black hole the galaxy formed around; it's also about 1,000 times larger than the one at the center of our Milky Way, at around 2.5 billion solar mass. (Many galaxies are believed to have formed around supermassive black holes.)
"Emitting nearly a billion times more power in radio wavelengths than our Sun, the galaxy is one of the brightest extragalactic radio sources in the entire sky," the VLA's website says of 3C 348.
The plasma jets move through space at close to the speed of light. Hubble's site also points out that the bulbous, "ring-like structures" at the end of each jet suggests the distant galaxy's black hole has sent them hurtling outwards into space more than once.
SEE ALSO: Trippy nebula captured in brilliant new Hubble imageAlways remember when you're looking at photos like these that they're actually snapshots from the distant past. The Hubble team captured this particular image in 2012, but 3C 348 is an estimated 2 billion light-years away. That means, roughly speaking, a photo taken today is capturing a scene from 2 billion years ago.
It's important to maintain perspective when we're peering at pictures of space. This single scene that you're probably looking at on a smartphone or tablet covers an inconceivable stretch of distance. And even though the photo itself was snapped almost a decade ago, the scene that's pictured played out around 2 billion years ago, at a time when Earth was still bouncing back from a mass extinction event that significantly predates our history as a species.
UPDATE: April 18, 2021, 10:10 a.m. EDT An earlier version of this story incorrectly attributed this image entirely to the Hubble Space Telescope. In fact it also features imagery from the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array in New Mexico. Likewise, a brief quote that appears above and was previously attributed to the Hubble website is actually from the website of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory website. The VLA is part of the NRAO's operations.
Trump's science adviser pick is actually a good scientist
'Pretty Little Liars' star responds to body shamers with another empowering message
Photographer finds hidden beauty in seemingly ordinary park benches
Why 'Marvel's Spider
You won't see Elon Musk smoking weed in public again, NASA admin says
Unesco just added 9 new World Heritage Sites to your travel bucket list
Catch up on this week’s news with our Instagram roundup
Watch NOAA hurricane hunters fly into the eye of Hurricane Florence
Amazon Spring Sale 2025: Best deals on cleaning supplies
New York City reports first known instance of female
Today's Hurdle hints and answers for April 1, 2025
Maisie Williams shares the moment she knew just how big 'Game of Thrones' actually was
The internet tells Trump his rumored VP choice sucks
Fall TV Preview: Returning shows everyone should watch
Auburn vs. Creighton 2025 livestream: How to watch March Madness for free
Popular Mac apps caught harvesting users' browsing data without consent
PSA: Uninstall "Adware Doctor" from your Mac ASAP
Silicon Valley's most controversial billionaire is going to speak at the RNC
New panda mom doesn't know she has twins thanks to sneaky zookeepers
'Monopoly' jumps on the 'Fortnite' bandwagon
Nintendo Switch 2 release date delayed? The new rumored launch windowBest controller deal: Get the Razer Kishi V2 Mobile Controller for 17% offPSVR2 support for PC might happen soonUConn vs. Villanova basketball livestreams: Game time, streaming deals16 striking murals that show the devastating effects of climate changeTurtles need to migrate across the airport and don't care if they delay flights at JFKHow to file taxes for free onlineEPA chief wants his climate change 'debate' televisedNYT's The Mini crossword answers for February 27Best controller deal: Get the Razer Kishi V2 Mobile Controller for 17% offCurious wild seal checking out a snorkeler is amazing and nerveOppo's Air Glass 3 augmented reality glasses look just like regular glassesIBM jumps into forecasting the weather exactly where you liveNYT's The Mini crossword answers for February 23Nintendo Switch 2 release date delayed? The new rumored launch windowNo need to worry, just hundreds of thousands of fire ants forming living towersThe latest Republican conspiracy theory about environmental groups is a doozyUConn vs. Villanova basketball livestreams: Game time, streaming dealsA giant crocodile relative had terrifying teeth like a T. rexG20 summit shows Trump took U.S. from first to worst on climate change in under a year GameStop basically just turned itself into a Blockbuster for video games School throws surprise pep rally for 88 A new ransomware tapped an NSA exploit to wreak some of its havoc You may soon be able to send text messages from a Chromebook Nintendo's Reggie Fils Walmart looks to undercut Amazon with new robotic employees 'Stranger Things 2' solves the mystery behind Steve's hair D.I.Y. these 'Stranger Things' mini pumpkins while you're binge Twitter suspends and reportedly bans Trump friend Roger Stone for his abusive tweets Clear pumpkin pie is a thing Congressman proposes certifying IoT devices for cybersecurity Trump's transgender military ban blocked by judge This Walking Dead premiere line gives us a huge hint about the finale 'SNL' announces Tiffany Haddish and Chance the Rapper as hosts We need this 'Stranger Things' hotel room in NYC Paul Manafort's email password was likely 'Bond007' Millie Bobby Brown still stuns as Eleven in 'Stranger Things 2' Samsung Gear IconX 2018 review: Longer Behind 'Rumu,' the game where you play a robot vacuum cleaner with feelings Anthony Rapp alleges Kevin Spacey made an 'advance' toward him as a teenager